President Akinci had a phone conversation on Tuesday evening with US Vice-President, Joe Biden. During the half hour-long conversation they discussed the latest developments regarding the Cyprus problem and the diplomatic upset created after Akinci attended an official dinner, hosted by President Erdogan in Istanbul. The dinner was held for heads of state and government within the framework of the Humanitarian Summit of the United Nations. When President Anastasiades heard about Akinci’s last minute dinner invitation, he refused to attend.
According to Kibris Postasi, the conversation had been planned before the above-mentioned upheaval took place, in order to evaluate the results of the parliamentary elections in South Cyprus. Reliable sources told the paper that Biden praised Akinci for his “sincere and determined stance” in the negotiations and expressed his satisfaction with Akinci’s “effective decisions”.
The report says that the two men had also discussed President Anastasiades’ decision not to take part in the meeting with Akinci, scheduled for Friday, within the framework of the Cyprus negotiations. They agreed that “this impulsive behaviour” by President Anastasiades derives from his stress because of the results of the parliamentary elections in the South.
Akinci explained in detail the latest developments in the negotiations and told Biden that he was ready to achieve a solution the soonest by intensifying the process.
Kibris Postasi
